Bonds Built on the Sand
by Quill of Dreams
Summary: A collection of my ficlets and such. Latest update: 2. Demon's Flames. Sometimes a balance between good and bad just isn't enough, especially when silent promises aren't kept. WA2
1. Ancient Proverb

This story is based on the original, since some things have been changed that clash (Tony's mom is nonexistent, the mayor's name has been changed, stuff like that). I had fun writing it though.

Summary: The same stories unfold over and over again and an outcast only wishes to break the chain. But whom can he turn to when an entire village is against him?

---

Rudy pitched the Holy Berry at the vile, rotting monster after weakening it with his ARM, and it was reduced to a pile of putrid sludge.

­­­­­­­­­­­Suddenly, Tony's mother grabbed Tony's hand and pulled him into the crowd. He yelped and said, "What's wrong?" He looked around frantically to see the shock and terror painted on their faces.

As for Rudy, he could only begin to wonder what was wrong. As the uncomfortable pause began to fade, the villagers of Surf could only murmur and stare at him. The petrified looks soon turned to rage, and Rudy could instantly tell that today wasn't going to end well.

"He used the forbidden power! What's going to happen to us now?" Panic stained her voice.

"I have no idea," the villager said as he bit his lip in thought.

"That earthquake was probably all his fault!" the villager spat, looking accusingly at Rudy.

"Yeah. If only I said something earlier! I saw the ARM in his bag the other day!" the other replied, with her face pained with guilt.

Rudy could only hear the sound of his own pounding heart as the accusations flew at him relentlessly. He nervously tightened his grip on the ARM as the inside of his gloves became lined with sweat.

"Moooom!" Tony jerked his hand out of his mother's grasp and he ran to Rudy.

"Tony!" His worried mother called out to him, but Tony paid no heed.

"You guys can't accuse him like that! Why is that forbidden power thing so bad anyway? He saved everyone from that monster with that thing!"

"He may have saved everyone, but he brought a curse upon the whole village! Why should we have to suffer because of him?"

"Well, um..." Tony focused on his shoes for a moment. His head sprang back up and glared at the villager. "But it's not fair! He helped me get the berries to heal Father! He can't be as bad as you say!"

"Why you insolent little..."

"That will be quite enough!" Mayor Pifer bellowed. The crowd instantly fell silent.

Pifer's outburst rang through the cave and the soft echo made Rudy's skin crawl. The initial binding spell of shock faded from him and stepped forward to say something in his defense, but the townspeople simply drew in a sharp gasp and stepped away from him as if he was some kind of monster. Just like before. Rudy clenched his teeth as he saw the fear shining in their eyes, and only Tony and Pifer seemed unperturbed by his action. Rudy could tell that anything he said would be warped and turned against him. Once he realized this, it felt like something inside him withered and died. He only listened to a handful of the mayor's words, but he had a vague idea where this was going.

"I think we can all agree that Rudy deserves to be thanked for saving Tony," Pifer said while he began to pace in front of the villagers. Some grumbled, but a disapproving glare from Pifer shut them up quickly. He turned to Rudy. "However, by using your ARM, you have used the forbidden power, and Surf may have been put in danger because of it. As a result, you will be judged according to village law. What say you, Rudy Roughnight?"

The group paused in anticipation, waiting for his reply. "I understand," he said quietly.

After his reply, the disgruntled villagers left, with the fighters on the front line. Some of them paused to cast a sympathetic look at Rudy before they shuffled out to catch up with the rest. Before long, they were all out of sight.

He felt like he was at a crossroads. Rudy was obviously in big trouble, and his life in Surf would never be the same again. It was bad enough that he might be banished from the village, but Rudy thought that the way most of the villagers stared at him was a lot worse.

_(I'm not a monster, am I? I just wanted to protect everyone...was it so wrong to use my ARM to help everyone?)_ Rudy started pacing a bit, and without even thinking he synchronized his footsteps with the echoes of water dripping fro the cave. Rudy didn't really know why he was pacing, but if it kept him away from his trial for a few sparse moments, then it wasn't a complete waste of time.

When he thought he had remained idle long enough, he reluctantly started his trek back to Surf.

---

As Rudy trudged back into Surf's city limits, he nearly collapsed with joy. Just going one way from Surf Village to the Berry Cave was a lengthy hike in itself, but going both ways **and** exploring the Berry Cave was just murder.

However, any mirth from his success was wiped from his face when he walked to the mayor's house. The lively banter between the villagers gradually faded as the village was consumed by whispers. Rudy quickened his pace and he let out a sigh of relief when he closed the door behind him. He noticed the town council sitting at the large banquet table and Mayor Pifer stood up to greet him.

"Rudy, please wait upstairs until our meeting is finished. It should not take much longer."

Rudy nodded and he went upstairs with an orchestra of wooden squeaks and squeals behind him. As he walked by the window, he could smell the soft scent of azaleas from the flower box hanging outside the window. Rudy stared out the window at the wispy clouds as if he was looking past the sky. As if there was something beyond that pure blue sky that was wrapped around the dying land of Filgaia.

The world seemed so still and ordinary, as if it had always been this way, which made it even more difficult to believe the old fairy tales about the war one thousand years ago. When the aroma of freshly baked goods began to mingle with the flower's scent, and the carefree murmurs of the townspeople and the animals flowed all around him, Rudy couldn't help but smile and hope that everything would be fine.

Unfortunately, at that moment, it was clear that the town council didn't share Rudy's optimism.

---

The four council members were still seated at the banquet table, discussing Rudy's fate. Warm, comforting sunlight poured through the sand scratched windows but they were sealed tight. No spoken words could escape from that place.

The council member on Pifer's right hesitated before he spoke, and even so, his voice was no more than a mere whisper. "I don't think it's safe for him to stay in the village anymore," he paused to look at his peers for a moment before he continued. "I can understand your hesitation to send him on his way; he's a good kid, and he works hard. However…I believe it's for the best, Mayor Pifer."

Pifer nodded sagely, but his reluctance clearly had a strong foundation. Upon seeing this, another member scoffed and rolled his eyes.

"What's with the heavy hearts and reluctance? He's just a Dream Chaser, a common nomad. If he could settle in this town, he could easily find another. Why he chose to come to a backwater town like Surf instead of a bustling city like Adlehyde, I'll never know." The first council member simply stared at him with a surprised look in his eyes, but the second just smirked, with a bemused expression plastered on his face. His smirk faded as Pifer studied him with a look of appraisal.

A third council member (who was the only female member) piped up. "Not to sound harsh, but there's the ARM problem as well. The town's in an uproar, and if we allow him to stay, we'll have the curse of the forbidden power to contend with. The rumors and stories about him will travel quickly, and if that isn't bad enough, the villagers might do a better job of exiling him than we ever could."

Pifer had his elbows on the table with his shriveled, brittle fingers knitted in front of his face. "You all make valid points…but I cannot help but feel sorry for the poor child." The other three members had eyes glued to Pifer's face as he spoke. "Rudy saved our lives with that ARM. After all, isn't power only as evil as its user?"

"Mayor Pifer…" The third paused. "Forgive me for this, but I think you're letting your emotions get the better of you."

The first nodded. "With all due respect, Mayor Pifer, the villagers trust—no, **expect** you to make an objective decision that is best for the village. There's no other way."

The second member leaned back in his chair and said, "Don't forget that the municipal election's coming up soon, old man. This decision might come back to bite your wrinkly ass later."

Pifer bristled at his rude words, but he simply cleared his throat and stared him down. The first member scowled and the third sighed in exasperation.

"You have no tact at all, you know that, right?" she said curtly.

He simply shrugged and said, "You say that as if it's a **bad** thing."

_(It IS a bad thing, you moron…)_ She looked away with some disgust and waited for Pifer's final decision.

Pifer was lost in his thoughts, with his eyes downcast. Finally, after an agonizing pause, he sighed and solemnly said, "Very well, it is best for him to leave the village in order to keep everyone away from harm. I took him in, so I will ask Rudy to leave."

A loud _thunk_ from the crest of the staircase shattered the tension in the room and the council members jumped in their seats. Rudy had fallen to his knees in shock. After those words, his legs had buckled violently, and any hope he had of finally being able to live and work like any other person had been crushed and it plummeted into despair.

_(It happened again.) _

Mayor Pifer walked to the base of the stairs and he leaned on his walking cane. "Were you eavesdropping, Rudy?"

Rudy could only nod absentmindedly.

"Then I suppose you already know our decision. I am truly sorry, but you must leave. There is no place for you here anymore," he said quietly. He left Rudy to dismiss the council for the day.

By that time, Rudy had managed to come to his senses and stand up. His brown eyes were downcast as we walked to his room. Although he supposed that it wasn't his room anymore. It was the guest room once again. Rudy kneeled down beside his cot and pulled out some of his belongings from under it. His reach for his pack (which was next to the nightstand) was nearly in vain as he managed to grasp it and pull in towards himself without falling over. When Rudy opened the pack, the very first thing that he saw was his ARM.

Rudy remembered how some had alienated or mistrusted him because of this ancient machine. He could easily throw it away and forget the thing ever existed, but there was no way he could just throw away a keepsake from his grandfather. Even so, this situation was different. The majority of an entire town had ganged up on him all at once, and he had never felt so alone in his entire life. Rudy tried to focus his mind on other things as he stuffed his possessions into the pack.

_(I already know there are people out there who will accept me for who I am, just like Grandpa said. But how long will it take for me to find a place where I'm accepted by everyone?)_

He sighed wearily before he closed his pack and slung it over his shoulder. Rudy paused before he left the room.

_(Well…here I go. Again.)_ He smiled weakly to himself.

When Mayor Pifer heard Rudy's squeaks from the stairs, he hobbled back to greet him, while holding a large animal skin pouch. "Rudy." Rudy's gaze instantly warped from his shoes to Pifer's wrinkled face. He had a slightly look of surprise on his face, and perhaps a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "I am sorry about this. I truly am. It's not much, but this should tide you over until you reach Adlehyde. Pifer then handed the pouch over to Rudy.

That glimmer of hope had faded after Pifer began to speak again, but the look of surprise didn't leave, especially after Rudy got a good look at the contents. He dug around in the bag to find some typical survival gear: provisions, water, flint, a small paring knife…but something else caught his attention.

"700, 800…there must be over 1000 gella in here!" Rudy sifted his hand through the tiny silver coins. His expression turned thoughtful and he pulled the drawstring tightly with some reluctance. "I…I can't accept this. The town is struggling as it is."

"Do not worry. Keep in mind that this is only enough to get you to Adlehyde," he paused for a moment and said, "Don't get lost now."

"Um… I won't. Thank you for everything," Rudy said, a little embarrassed. It would be quite shameful if he managed to have trouble finding a huge city like Adlehyde.

"Considering the circumstances, there is no need to thank me…but you're welcome."

Rudy began to walk out the door, until Pifer suddenly spoke again.

"Rudy. Do yourself a favour. When you walk out of this town, don't look back for an instant."

He had turned around with a look of confusion plastered on his face, but Pifer had already walked away. Those words made him nervous for some reason, but Rudy felt like he should put his faith in them.

The door clicked behind him as Rudy let out a sigh. He started to wonder if he should start planning a detour to avoid those awful stares or to just get out quickly.

_"…don't look back for an instant."_

When those words floated back into Rudy's mind, he instinctively started to sprint toward the outskirts with his eyes downcast and his hands balled into fists. His feet pounded against the ground and he kicked up wisps of dust behind him. Rudy wasn't quite sure when he was going to stop until he heard a familiar voice.

"W-wait a minute! Please!" A little boy's voice—it was probably Tony.

Rudy almost skidded to a stop, but he didn't dare turn around.

"Um," Tony paused for a moment, as if he was trying to find the right words. "I'm really sorry. If I didn't go into the Berry Cave in the first place, you wouldn't have to leave Surf. I think they're wrong for kicking you out of the village, but my parents or any of the other grown-ups won't listen to me. Thanks for helping us, and I'm going to make sure I repay you for that. So…you'd better not die out there!"

Rudy could hear his footsteps getting softer and softer, until he could hear them no more.

_(That makes two people I have to live for,)_ he thought, with a bemused look on his face. _(Are you watching, Grandpa?)_

What he would encounter next was a mystery and beyond his imagination. The only thing Rudy could do was try and look forward into the future, and never look back for an instant.


	2. Demon's Flames

_'It's only a matter of time, you know...'_

He could hear the deep voice echoing in his mind. He groaned and rolled over, trying to sleep. '_Not tonight. Just give me this one peaceful night...'_

The thundering voice paid his silent plea no heed. After a deep-throated laugh of pure, sadistic amusement, the voice called to him again. '_With every passing second, the Argetlahm's protection fades, and I will become you.' _The voice paused for a second. '_I wonder how it will feel to tear the hearts out of the quivering bodies of your friends.'_

Ashley bristled and his anger grew. But as the fury increased inside of him, the paralyzing fear increased by ten-fold.

The voice knew this.

Ashley took a deep breath. '_There's no way I'll let that happen. Never.'_

'_Really?' _ His words crackled with amusement. '_What chance does the soul of a lowly human have against the legendary Blaze of Disaster? What makes you think you could succeed when the Sword Magess failed?'_

'_The Sword Magess didn't fail! She stopped you, didn't she?'_

Lord Blazer let out a laugh of contempt. _'You humans truly are pitiful. That so called hero of yours… your symbol of hope for the future only managed to seal me away. But here I am again, and the Sword Magess is nowhere to be found.'_

Ashley threw the blankets aside and began to ignore Lord Blazer's overly dramatic proclamations. His annoyance was beginning to overlap the fear he felt, and that feeling was quite liberating. He threw on his usual jeans and shirt, unsure of what he was going to do or where he was going.

As carefully as he tried to open the door, it still creaked horribly, and Ashley nearly jumped out of his skin. He grimaced as he tried to move the door in such a way so it wouldn't creak back to its former position, but to no avail. Ashley got another taste of the creaking lightning. He sighed as he turned around and saw the ladder leading to the roof of the bakery. Ashley wasn't sure why he had a sudden impulse to climb to the roof, but as long as he was making that decision, it didn't matter.

He stared up at the sky and its glittering stars, but really he was staring a hole through it. The black sky didn't really register in his brain. Lord Blazer was getting irritated with him now, and he started to scream and throw a tantrum inside his head, which was starting to give Ashley a headache.

'_Oh, just shut up, why don't you,'_ Ashley thought, with an irritated look on his face. '_I've had enough for one day.'_

Lord Blazer's voice became eerily calm. '_I see that you still don't understand. Allow me to educate you.'_

Without warning, Ashley's right hand suddenly balled into a fist and his arm suddenly lifted from his side. His arm stopped when it was outstretched in front of him. Ashley hadn't moved. He tried to move his arm, but he couldn't; his arms simply quaked in the air from his own effort.

'_Unfortunately for you, human, the Argetlahm is not sentient. So while it may temporarily protect you, it can't stop me from controlling your body. I must admit, my powers equate to much more than this, but that blasted sword makes things somewhat difficult.'_

Ashley's legs suddenly bent and he unwillingly sprang to his feet. '_Stop it! I'm not your puppet!'_

'_Not entirely, no.'_ Lord Blazer made Ashley walk to the edge of the rooftop and stand there as if the edge was a thin tightrope.

Ashley was shaking all over from his struggling, and beads of sweat were beginning to form on his forehead. He couldn't move; he was ensnared in Lord Blazer's trap. He slowly swayed from side to side, but his balance would shift as soon as it felt like he was about to fall. Suddenly, Ashley was turned swiftly on his heel and Lord Blazer let him go. Ashley fell to his hands and knees. He swallowed gulps of air to calm himself down; he hadn't realized how unnerving it was to lose control of your own body.

This was whom he was dealing with. Not the annoyingly dramatic demon he thought he knew, but one who really didn't give a damn as long as he knew things were going his way. Knowing that he couldn't let this go by without a fight was all well and good; the problem was that Ashley didn't know **what** to do. He had been told that the demon and the Guardian Blade had a very unstable balance within him, so he didn't worry too much about it. Now that he thought about it, maybe it was more like a compromise instead of a balance.

Would he have to count on Kanon to keep her promise after all? He had made that promise hoping that it would never have to be fulfilled. He thought he'd have more answers by now, or maybe even more control, yet he hadn't made any progress. To be fair, he really hadn't been looking for solutions to his problems, since he had been so preoccupied with Odessa so far.

He tried his best not to think and let his mind go blank so Lord Blazer wouldn't know he was afraid. Ashley stared at the night sky again before he went back to his room and battled with his insomnia some more before he finally fell asleep.

---

"Ashley? Is there something wrong?" Marina said with a concerned look on her face.

He hesitated before answering. "No, I'm fine. I just didn't sleep very well, that's all." Ashley said his goodbyes and walked about the door before she could say anything else.

He could hear Lord Blazer laughing at him the entire way.


End file.
